ISSARTEL Group,
France
EDM:
a key technology at the general machining workshops
"The
ONA machines are so reliable operating unattended that it has been possible
to reorganize shop work."
Today it is reality: wire and penetration EDM enhance the productivity of machine shops in general. An example is ISSARTEL, a firm specialized in the machining of hard metals, expert in making pieces for optical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment used in the medical, nuclear, and military sectors, as well as on survey platforms
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Michel
Issartel with Alain Crépet, Manager of ONA France
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Ready to explore new technology
Michel Issartel has managed the firm for a quarter century. Its expertise began with milling and turning, then expanded into general machining. Almost from the outset, penetration EDM has been used in working with inconel and treated steel, e.g. in producing difficult interior shapes that could not be achieved with milling (deep grooves, curved conduits, etc.). In 1995 his openness to new ideas led Issartel to see the potential of wire EDM, and he purchased an ONA E 400 unit.
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Machining of a hydraulic
component with RAM EDM
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The machine has more than met initial expectations, with phenomenal performance. It has proved to be highly competitive, thanks to its work capacity in automatic mode. Michel Issartel puts the matter this way: "The machine is so reliable operating overnight or over the weekend that it has been possible to reorganize shop work. Operations have been automated that used to require milling and the presence of the operator. For example, it used to take two hours to machine a revolver chamber. A set of six chambers was produced with two machines working through a shift. Now we do the job with wire EDM overnight, without an operator. The result is better lead times and better prices. This solution has proved equally effective with jobs that used to be done at machining centres. Times are shorter, there are fewer operations, programming is simpler, tool costs are lower, and so on. It turned out to be much easier and more cost-effective to use EDM in producing complex shapes."
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EDM, a competitive solution that is easy to employ
Aware of the advantages of EDM, in 2000 ISSARTEL bought a new wire unit, the C 300. This investment resulted in a major increase in productivity. The high level of automation in the C 300, whose CNC contains an Expert Erosion System, makes the machine considerably easier to operate and ensures its top performance, whether or not it is attended.
These and other, equally instructive experiences illustrate the fact that an EDM unit in the workshop is not only a useful complement but also a necessity. It is a competitive solution that is easy to employ.
Article produced by the review MACHINES PRODUCTION
